CHINA'S latest lunar mission will run into an advanced alien civilisation on the mysterious dark side of the moon.

That's according to crackpot conspiracy theorists, who claim Beijing's Chang'e-4 probe will stumble upon secret military bases set up by extraterrestrials.

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Conspiracy theorists believe aliens are hiding on the dark side of the moonCredit: Getty - Contributor

Internet cranks also believe the robot will discover a series of impact craters left by Nasa "bombing campaigns" against the hidden aliens.

Due to touch down in the early hours of Thursday morning, Chang'e-4 is humanity's first mission to the dark side of the moon.

The region perpetually faces away from Earth and is shrouded in mystery because it cannot be seen by normal telescopes.

It has proved ripe for conspiracy theories, including claims that an advanced alien race is hiding there in secret.

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Chang'e-4 is preparing to land in the Aitken Basin at the lunar South Pole. It consists of a four-legged lander and a six-wheeled rover that will communicate with Earth via a satellite orbiting the moon

Last year, Karl Wolfe, a technician at the Air Force Tactical Air Command headquarters in Langley, Virginia, claimed to have discovered artificial structures in the dark side of the moon.

He and his colleagues found strange shapes in images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a probe that has circled the moon since 2009.

"They were structures that were definitely not created by natural means, such as meteors, or ancient collisions with other heavenly bodies," Karl said.

"The structures were created by intelligent beings. Most noticeable was what looked exactly like radar antennas, very similar to what one could see on Earth."

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Conspiracy theorists claim China will find alien bases when its probe touches down on the mysterious dark side of the moon on Thursday

Conspiracy theorists have also spotted strange shapes in decades-old images taken by Nasa's Apollo 7 and 8 astronauts as they orbited the moon.

With Chang'e-4 about to make its mark as the first human-made object to touch down on the moon's dark side, conspiracy theorists say the probe could put us all in mortal danger.

Many say that alien races living on the moon could see the landing as an act of war against their species, potentially resulting in devastating consequences.

But that's not the only theory circling the conspiracy community.

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China's space probe is landing in the South Pole-Aitken basin, pictured here in 1968

Some believe that the dark side of the moon is peppered by craters left by military bombings undertaken by Nasa.

A number of people believe Nasa attacked aliens living in the region, while others say the explosions were part of a lunar mining operation.

The theory first arose in 2009 after Nasa deliberately fired a rocket and satellite into the lunar surface.

The agency said it carried out the mission in an attempt to kick up moon dust that it could analyse from Earth to determine if the moon held any water.

But it set off a wave of crackpot theories that Nasa regularly bombs the moon as part of a secret war against an alien race.

First footage of China landing and unloading the Chang'e 4 lunar rover on the ‘dark side of Moon’

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"NASA’s LCROSS mission had a more militaristic objective rather than scientific," writes conspiracy website ancient-codes.com.

"Despite the fact that it strictly prohibited, NASA released a ‘Centaur’ kinetic weapon which ultimately impacted the moon.

"Many believe that the 2-ton kinetic weapon that was detonated on the Moon’s South Pole was aimed at an Alien Base located there."

Nasa has not commented on either of the claims – though it rarely chooses to respond to conspiracy theories.

What do you think Chang'e-4 will find on the moon? Let us know in the comments!

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